Mystery of the Past
by stephSY
Summary: When Harry was seven, car accident happen. He is claimed dead and was left to survive by himself on a street. How will this effect him and what will happen to him in the world full of magic? First fanfic
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1**

**Prologue**

The Dursleys were having a great day.

First of all, there was a large order of drills from Vernon's company. Then the boss allowed their family to go for a vacation, and right now, they were heading to a shopping mall to buy some things that they would use during their vacation.

"It's wonderful day. Isn't it Petunia?" Vernon Dursley bellowed to his wife, while humming his favoirte song and tapping the steering wheel.

As if reading their mood, the weather was great, too. It was sunny with clear blue sky. Several clouds lazily floated around and cool breeze gently shook the leaves. It was certainly perfect day to the Dursleys except one thing. Their freak nephew named Harry Potter.

The said boy was sitting next to a window, watching everything curiously. Although he was supposed to be with Mrs. Figg, she was little ill and couldn't take him. It wasn't often that the Dursleys were taking Harry with them, as they did everything to keep people from learning about him and his 'freakishness', it was a rare occurance for Harry to ride a car.

"Move out of the way, you!"

Dudley said, shoving him towards the window side. Caught off guard, Harry hit his head on the window and shook his head to clear it. He could hear his cousin's rude laughter which he tried his best to ignore it. After all, it was usual to be treated like this, especially when Dudley thought nobody was watching them.

'Of course, it won't matter even if they do see it.' Harry thought wincing as his cousin poked him on his side again. Most people thought he was a dangerous kid who was mentally unstable, so nobody liked him except for few people, such as librarian. Some animals also liked him, and snakes even talked to him, which Harry thought was pretty cool.

"Oh, yes. This is certainly a day that we deserve."

Petunia replied, while shooting some nasty looks towards her nephew. Harry sighed, as he very well knew what she was thinking right now. The entire family hated Harry, and it seemed that the only reason why they were keeping him was that Harry was son of Lily, sister of Petunia. Unfortunately this didn't mean that Dursleys needed to treat Harry fairly.

Harry shook his head to clear those dark thoughts away, tuned out his relatives' conversation and he turned his emerald eyes to see outside. He could see many colourful shops and tall buildings, which Harry stared at it with awe.

'I wonder how they build those things. Maybe the library has a book on building stuff?'

Harry's musing was soon broken by none other than Dudley. He was complaining about how slow the car was, as he wanted the new toy his parents promised to buy him.

"This is boring. I want my toy! Make the car go FASTER!" He wailed like a pig in pain and started to wave his arms widely that it hit Harry's arm.

"Ow." Harry bit his lower lip to stop the complaints and just rubbed his arm. Harry warily watched his aunt trying to calm his cousin down, expecting another 'accidental' punch. Unlike other kids at his age, he was a lot more cautious and smart and Harry knew Dudley would hit him in every chance he got so unless he was prepared, his arm was likely to be in great amount of pain.

After a while, Harry tried not to pay attention to his relatives and kept on watching the outside through the window. But he was a little distracteded, since Dudley didn't stop thrashing around and his aunt at front seat was still trying to calm him down.

"Dinky Duddydums, look at your mummy. Daddy is trying his best, see? So just wait a little-"

"I DON'T WANT TO WAIT!"

Understandably, Harry couldn't watch outside because of his loud, stubborn cousin. But if Harry did watch with great care, he would have noticed a man, who seemed to disappea into a shadow.

* * *

><p>A man in black stood, motionless, in the dark alley. In his position, shadow covered him, making it seem as if he was invisible. His cold eyes were fixed on a car that was caught in a red light.<p>

Horse like woman sat at frontseat, trying to grab a fat boy, possibly her son. Large man on a driver's seat was shouting at the boy, probably trying to tell the boy to be quiet. Small boy was sitting beside a window and he occasionally shot a wary glance towards a fat boy.

It was indeed a strange sight. As he thought of what would happen next, pleased smirk spread across his face. Deciding it was time, the man drew out his wand, silently and swiftly. His target was completely unaware of a danger that was coming.

'Pity,' He thought as he adjusted his wand towards the car. 'I rather enjoy my victim to be more aware of death and feel helpless.' The man murmured a spell under his breath and fiery red jet erupted from the tip of the wand.

The jet flew straight towards the unsuspecting car.

* * *

><p>Harry tried to make his body as small as possible by curling up. Dudley hadn't stopped his tantrum yet and was becoming more violent as the time passed.<p>

"FASTER!"

Harry covered his ears. He definitely didn't want to lose his hearings, as he already had eyesight problem. But his uncle and aunt was also yelling in their own way along with Dudley that it seemed very likely to become deaf. Groaning softly to himself, Harry ignored them as much as he can and turned towards the window again.

Suddenly, Harry felt a tingling sensation, like when he turned the teacher's wig blue. Eyes wide, he searched every part of the street as he can until he caught the sight of light. _Dangerous_ red light. He felt as if time slowed down. He could hear faint screams of people outside and yelling of his relatives. He also could see the light coming towards them, towards _him_.

Harry only had time to cry out in alarm. When the light hit the side of the car, he flung his body away from the door and could only pray for protection. For safety.

Explosion shook the ground and people quickly ducked to avoid the damage. People screamed and many people merely stared in disbelief. The car and everything near it was completely crushed and burned up, barely recognizable. Someone yelled to call the police and ambulance, and instantly, most people were already reaching out for their phone.

During the chaos, nobody took notice of a mysterious man, smiling coolly. He disappeared into thin air only leaving remains of exploded car and a sound of ambulance and screams echoing in the air.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello. This is my very first fanfiction and if you have any suggestions, please tell me so I can improve my story. I hope you enjoyed and please read and review!<strong>


	2. Headache

**Chapter 2**

**Headache**

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, was currently deep in thought, hardly noticing anything. He was thinking about the tragic accident that happened days ago. The accident had effected the entire Magical World greatly.

Sighing, he rubbed his temple to shake off headache that was starting to come. Although this was the first time for Dumbledore to be by himself without any reporters, paper works or minister himself, he just couldn't rest. Letting out a long sigh, he once again replayed the fateful day in his head.

* * *

><p>"Albus! <em>Albus!<em>" Minerva McGonagal came charging in to Dumbledore's office. Her face was slightly red as if she ran rather far distance to get here, which wasn't far from truth. Her usually neat hair was little tangled while her hat was tilted to the side and looked like it could fall down in any moment.

Dumbledore calmly greeted her without giving away how surprised he was. Minerva rarely lost her control like this, which made him worry. Last time she acted in this way was when Lily and James died. Since they were one of her favorite students, it effected her more. Frowning, he wondered why she was in such mood. _Had something happened? _He surely hoped not_._

Minerva, however, did not give any sign that she heard his greeting but started pacing around the office. Now Dumbledore was getting more and more worried. _Surely Lord Voldemort haven't come back to life so soon? Or was it about some Death Eaters who haven't got captured?_ All sorts of possibilities literally flew into his head. None of them were good, and even if he tried to think about positive things it was impossible.

Minerva started talking while she fidgeted with her hat.

"Albus, it's, it's about Harry, you know, Lily and James's son..." Well, that was unexpected. Just thinking about that poor child saddened him. He lost his parents in very young age and he still had the prophecy that would give very big responsibility. Though he won't tell him about it so the child might have a chance to have fun, he would have to talk to him about it, sooner or later.

But then, realization struck him. Why was Minerva talking about Harry so anxiously? Did something happened to him? Minerva's voice stopped him from his train of thoughts.

"He was in a car with his relatives. Then, then it just exploded! We don't know how, Albus, but all of the Dursleys are dead. But Albus, Harry. He, he..." McGonagal trailed off and suddenly, she collapsed into near chair with her head into her hands. Dumbledore could see that she was trembling a little, so he waited patiently until she collected herself.

Despite of how Dumbledore looked outside, he was having quite big problem digesting the information. Explosion of a car, which held the Boy-Who-Lived. Was it just a coincidence? Or was the whole thing a plan?

Finally, Minerva looked at him and with hoarse voice, just above whisper, she told him. Or tried to tell him."Harry wasn't there. They think, that he's..." There was no need to finish the scentence, for they both knew what she was thinking.

_'Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, Dead' _Dumbledore could just picture the _Daily Prophet's_ front page.

"Please, Minerva, take us to where this hapened." Since they were trying to go as fast as they can, Dumbledore alerted Severus Snape very briefly about the accident. After bending the ward of Hogwarts slightly, they apparated to where this happened.

* * *

><p>When they arrived, muggles were screaming and fire was still burning. So Dumbledore and McGonagal helped the aurors to take the control of the situation. So in the end, they managed to make it look like a gas explosion and after all the muggles left the place, all wizards and witches tried to identify the real cause of the accident.<p>

However, they couldn't find out much. There were no traces of any magic which was why most people assumed that it was an accident. Dumbledore, however, thought it was a planned murder. He just didn't think that a car with the Boy-Who-Lived exploding was a mere coincidence.

If young Harry had indeed died like his relatives, they should have found his body. But there was no trace of the boy, as if he disappeared. It lead to another possibilities, which was Harry had done accidental magic and was transported to safe place. But it only created other questions. Where was he? How was he doing?

When Dumbledore felt headache increasing, he mentally sighed. The funeral of the Dursleys already happened and muggle police were searching for the missing boy, but with no luck. Even few aurors were working with them in disguise.

Many wizards and witches were searching for Harry even at this moment. Even Severus was searching for the boy, who kept complaining and glaring at him whenever they meet. Minerva and Hagrid was almost always on the search unless they were too tired to continue. The person who was worse than them was Remus, who was always outside despite of time and only ate when someone threatened him to put body bind curse on him.

The major problem was that by learning about their savior's death, the Wizarding World was effected negatively in many ways. Every day, the front page of Daily Prophet would be about the search for the Boy-Who-Lived and was doing a great job of adding a great amount of paperwork and headache for the Headmaster.

There was also a problem regarding the prophecy. Was Lord Voldemort destined to take over the Wizarding World? Was there no hope at all?

Suddenly, the fire from the fireplace turned green, causing Dumbledore jerk his head up, startled. Severus Snape walked towards Dumbledore while brushing away some ash that had gotten on his robe. "Hello, Severus. Any news from Harry?" Dumbledore greeted him and the potion master only nodded his head curtly.

"Hello, Headmaster. Unfortunately, there are no news about that Potter child. The others are still searching, though personally, I do not think we will find any information about the child any time soon." Snape replied as usual, and the Headmaster mentally sighed, wondering when his former student will admit the boy wasn't James and was also son of Lily.

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Severus. You may go and have some rest now." After Snape nodded at him again and exited, Headmaster of Hogwarts allowed a deep sigh and headed for one of his sweets.

_It is going to be a long day._ Dumbledore thought while throwing a sweet into his mouth. His suspicion was proven correct when an owl flew in with a letter from the Minister of Magic which requested a meeting to be arranged.


	3. Lost Boy

**Chapter 3**

**Lost Boy**

Remus Lupin, a werewolf, was wandering around a muggle street. It was empty with only few muggles going for a walk, due to the fact that it was only early in the morning. Remus welcomed the cool breeze brushing past his face. It made his mind to calm down a little bit.

He was thinking about his dead friends, a certain traitor who he once believed was his friend, and Harry, his best friend's son who was claimed to be dead.

Remus wearily rubbed his eyes. It had been years since that span incident, however, no one found any information about Harry nor did they have any clue what happened to him. People gave up on finding him long ago, though part of Remus half-believed half-hoped that Harry was alive, though he very well knew it was just a wishful thinking.

He felt guilty for not even visiting his best friend's son. Though he knew focusing on the past won't do any good, it didn't make him feel less guilty. It actually made him feel even more guiltier. Suddenly, not visiting just because he was a werewolf didn't sounded like a good excuse.

Remus sighed deeply. He had been very stressful lately. With his 'furry little problem' (although the problem wasn't _that_ little), search for Harry, and tons of 'what if?' questions filling his rest of his mind, he hardly rested these days. As a result, he was usually tense, jumpy and emotional most of the time.

He was so caught up in his train of thoughts and emotion that he didn't even paid attention to his surroundings and ended up bumping into someone. Remus staggered, trying to regain his balance while blinking furiously. The person wasn't so fortunate, who landed on the ground.

It was rare for a werewolf to fail to notice a person coming towards him, thanks to his sharp senses. So Remus was rather shocked when he crashed into the small boy, who seemed to be in shock as well.

The was wearing clothes that looked rather worn our and greyish, similar to Remus's clothes. He wore a jacket, jeans, a plain T-shirt and sneakers. There was a cap which rested firmly on top of the boy's head. It casted a shadow, which covered his eyes and most of his upper face. He looked about nine or ten years old and rather skinny.

"My apologies, sir. I didn't see you coming. Sir? Are you alright?"

When he heard a question directed to him, Remus snapped out of his daze and shook his head a little, trying to clear his mind. Smiling an apologetic smile, Remus replied.

"Oh, nothing to worry about. I should have paid more attention to where I was going. Are _you_ alright, though?"

Remus asked, when the boy glanced over his shoulders and almost instantly, his expression turned into a grim one, but it quickly vanished, childish mask taking its place.

"Sorry, sir, but I have to go somewhere quickly. I promised to meet my friend and I am already late. I apologize again, sir."

He sent a hestiant smile to Remus, and the boy quickly walked away. Remus frowned. _What could've caused the boy go so fast?_ The question was answered soon when he saw a gang of teenagers, all of them snarling or looking quite deadly.

Their apperance didn't really alarm Remus. He _had_ battled against the death eaters in his life after all. What really alarmed him was that they looked as if they were searching for someone and that someone was the boy who Remus just met. When one of them pointed at the small figure, nasty smile appeared on their face.

A teen who dyed his hair red and stood out from his friends due to the big size of him was leading the gang. He smirked, which made his face, if possible, uglier.

"I can see that brat over there. Ooh, we will make him pay dearly. Right guys?"

The question was answered by grunts of agreements and cheers. Some yelled out their opinion such as "Of course, Chris!" or "He will learn his lesson." Remus was already disgusted by their behaviour. The gang weren't just bullying random children. They were actually _hunting_ a particular child who possibly didn't obey them and was making them look up to them by force.

Remus knew the boy didn't stand a chance. He was obviously outnumbered and the gang was definitely stronger and bigger than the boy. So Remus decided to do the most bravest (or the most stupidest, depending on the perspective) thing. He wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for no reason. After casting Disillusionment Charm on himself, Remus started following the teens.

Soon, someone yelled that they have cornered him, sounding as if the have trapped a wild animal instead of a person. The gang cheered and rushed forward forming a semicircle around the boy and Remus positioned him close to the boy so if things started to get ugly, he could protect him.

Although he was surrounded in the dark alley, the boy didn't give any sign of being nervous, impressing Remus. His body was tense, but he stood his ground, glaring at the gang. Even when his eyes weren't visible, Remus could swear that it was very cold and he was glad the glare wasn't directed to him. Few of the teenager shifted slightly when they felt the icy glare on them, but none of them backed out. In fact, they only formed more tight circle around him.

Red-haired teen, _Chris_ Remus recalled, stepped forward. He sneered, but it seemed to have little effect on the boy. After a silent glaring contest, the boy finally broke the silence.

"Well? Can I help you with something? I am quite sure there is a reason for me to be invited to this _pleasant_ meeting."

"Ah, actually there is something you can _help_ us with. You see, by attacking us, you are to face a consquences. But if you apologize and promise to be respectful to us in the future, the consquence won't be as harsh as it should be."

However, the boy just raised an eyebrow while he fixed his icy glare on the teen. He made a low growling sound, and Chris narrowed his eyes, not even bothering to fake friendliness anymore.

"I don't see why I should do as you ask when it was _you_ who had been hurting that poor girl! I personally think you _deserve_ an insult because _you _didn't do _anything_ respectful." The boy replied in a low voice, every word containing anger. "So no, I will _not_ apologize."

"You brat, _will_ be sorry."

Chris suddenly charged at the boy in incredible speed. Remus gasped, which surprisingly went unnoticed by the teens, and pointed his wand at the boy trying to cast a protection spell.

However, it was apperant that the boy knew how to defend himself. He side-stepped the teen at the last second. Before Chris even knew what was going on, the boy used the teen's own force to throw him to the wall. The loud _Crash!_ was met with complete silence, all eyes fixed on the two figures.

Chris stood up, swaying slightly. The crash caused nose bleed and several bruises, but the teen didn't seem to care. With his face red with fury, he bellowed to his friends to attack.

What followed next was a complete chaos.

The boy dodged most of punches and kicks that were thrown to him and sometimes he attacked as well. Remus was astonished by the boy's fighting skill, but he supposed if he had to face this kind of situation, he would have to learn how to defend and fight.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Remus started stupefying the teens who didn't even have chance to react, except for startled yelp. Soon, the fight ended and the only concious ones were Remus and the boy. The boy frowned, probably wondering how the teens were unconcious. He had several bruises but he didn't seem to mind.

He whirled around when Remus diactivated the Disillusionment Charm. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Remus and stammered, "How?", causing Remus to chuckle inwardly.

"Hello, again. are you al-" Remus stopped in mid-scentence as he took a proper look at the boy since his cap got hit during the fight and was currently lying on the ground. His brain froze, trying to digest what he was seeing. His mouth was opening and closing like a fish, unable to make any sound, let alone a word. He felt as if someone slapped him without any warning.

Instead of seeing a random face like Remus expected, he was facing a mini clone of his best friend, _James's_. Same messy hair sticking out everywhere and glasses on his , how he wished to see that face again! But the boy's eyes weren't James's. It was _Lily's_. Remus almost sobbed. Sparkling emerald eyes that seemed to burn, but yet soft.

"Sir? Sir! Are you alright?" The boy was now shouting frantically, trying to gain Remus's attention. But it had no effect on werewolf. Then, realization hit him. If the boy had James's face and Lily's eyes, the boy wasn't random child!

Remus felt like fainting. His knees felt like jelly and he started to shake. But his gaze never left the boy, no, _Harry_. Harry was alive! Tears fell down and Remus did nothing to stop them. He just laughed in relief, not caring anything else in the moment. _Harry was alive!_

Harry's eyes widened even more, full of concern and shouted things that Remus couldn't understand (not that it mattered to him). He probably would be thinking he was insane but he didn't really care. He kept laughing, so glad that Harry was alive.

Neither of them noticed a teen, leader of the gang, stirring and gaining conciousness. Chris slowly stood up, shaking his head to clear it and observed the current situation. After firmly grabbing a wooden bat that was lying near to him, he ran towards Harry. His eyes full of hate and determinded to revenge.

When Remus and Harry noticed it, it was too late. Remus cried out in alarm, reaching out for wand while Harry raised his right arm, desperately trying to block the blow. However, the bat just snapped the arm and hit Harry's head.

Pain engulfed him as Harry screamed in agony. He crumbled to his knee while clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut. Blood spilled everywhere and he couldn't think, but plead for the pain to leave. Letting out his final scream, he barely heard another person screaming that seemed to come from far away.

"**_Harry!_**"

Then he knew no more as he plunged into darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>If you have any comments or suggestions about how I can improve my story, please tell me. I hope you enjoyed and please read and review!<strong>


	4. Hogwarts

**Chapter 4**

**Hogwarts**

It was a peaceful morning and Madam Pomfrey was enjoying every second of it. She stepped out from her office and waved her wand to clean up the Hospital Wing. White bed sheet folded itself neatly and dust was removed. Looking around, satisfied smile stretched on her face.

Yesterday, she had a nice chat with her friend in St. Mungo's. Since Hogwarts didn't start until first of October, she had lots of time to spare which she spent helping healers in St. Mungos's or just relaxing. Though she did miss children's laughter echoing around the halls, it was nice not to have students injured from a prank or an accident.

Humming to herself she started to sort potions in order until she heard loud footsteps, likely running. Frowning disapprovingly, she walked towards the door to see the person, maybe she could find out why he or she was rushing. But before she even went near, the door was banged open and Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagal ran in.

"Minerva? Remus? _What happened?" _Madam Pomfrey nearly screamed when she saw a bloodied child in his arms. Without waiting for a response she rushed forward and helped him lay the child on one of the bed. She quickly worked on the head injury first while she heard Remus stuttering out, "hit by wooden bat, managed to stop bleeding, came here with emergency portkey." When she heard the last part, she thanked the god that Remus was carrying a portkey with him. If not, she shuddered to think what would have happened.

After wrapping the child's head and right arm, she poured blood-replenishing potion and pain-relief potion along with other necessary things into his mouth. When she noticed how thin he was she vowed to herself to make sure he gained weight. After cleaning dried blood off from the child with her wand, Madame Pomfrey clutched her heart, gasping. Her eyes darted towards the werewolf frantically and received a nod.

"Explain."

It was all it needed for Remus to tell them how he met Harry Potter and the events that followed.

* * *

><p>Harry let out a soft moan. Thinking back, the events rushed back to him and he inwardly groaned. He remembered the stranger, fight and pain. He mentally scolded himself for letting his guard down until when Harry realized it didn't hurt anymore except for a throbbing headache.<p>

Without opening his eyes, he spread out his senses and first thing he learned was that he was lying on a very soft bed. His head was bandaged and his arm was healed which confused him a little and he also felt other people's presence with him. After hearing them, he learned there were three people who were talking about him which made himself tense and nervous. After the Dursleys and _Hell_, Harry was never comfortable around people, especially adults, except for few who became his friends.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he opened his eyes a little but closed it quickly when it caused pain to his eyes. Quiet groan escaped his lips and Harry cursed as it alerted the adults. Blinking to regain ability to see, he saw there was indeed three people and one of them was the stranger he had met. Harry had to suppress a flinch as one of them came close to him but Harry was sure one with a tight bun noticed it as her eyes got narrowed.

"Oh, child, you are awake! Now can you tell me how you are feeling?" A woman immediately started fussing over him and Harry allowed, but his body was still tense.

"I don't want to be rude but who are you? And where am I?"

They introduced themselves and a strict looking woman started explaining about Hogwarts, the Wizarding World and how magic is real. Harry didn't really pay attention to it, because he had his friends who already told the similar things. So instead, Harry pondered whether he could trust them or not. In the end, he decided to follow his instinct and trust them but not completely. When he just looked calm and wasn't shocked or protest no such thing existed, the adults looked fairly surprised. Curiously, Remus asked whether he knew this and Harry admitted that he had some magical friends. They wondered who Harry's friends were but dropped the subject as he gave no sign to tell them about it.

But when Professor McGonagal said Harry could attend to Hogwarts, Harry was caught off guard and almost fell out of the bed which earned chuckles. Blushing furiously, he asked if she was certain and blinked in surprise. Sure, his friends told him he was a wizard and would get a letter from Hogwarts but he didn't fully believe them. He was afraid he won't be a wizard and his hope would be shattered, but here it was a definite proof.

Harry couldn't help but allow sincere smile to spread across his face and accepted the offer. Unknown to him, three wizards and witches were chuckling to themselves to see Harry looking truly like a innocent child.

"Professor, but I need to explain this to my fam...I mean, my friends. They live together with me and they already know about magic. They'll be worried that I hadn't come back yet."

At this, McGonagal raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"If you don't mind me asking Mr. Potter, but where are you living?"

"Oh, we used to live in an orphanage before it...burned down and we were living on streets before I found Leaky Cauldron. Oh, Tom didn't say anything because I asked him to. I didn't know if I would go to Hogwarts for certain and didn't want to leave my friends alone." He quickly added when they looked little angry and shocked Tom didn't say anything about finding Harry.

After checking the time, McGonagal and Remus stood up and left after promising to bring him to Leaky Cauldron tomorrow. They also said they'll send a letter to Harry's family so they wouldn't worry. Madam Pomfrey refused to let Harry go no matter how hard he pleaded and just gave him a tray of food. Sighing in defeat, Harry awkwardly ate with his stiff right arm. Then he was forced to drink few potions with awful taste that would help him grow.

Harry was half annoyed and half amused at the witch. It was true he wasn't as big as he should be but if someone heard her lecturing, one might think he was a dwarf. But part of Harry felt...nice to be taken care of. Yes, his family cared for him but mostly he was the one who cooked, tended injuries and played with little ones. He didn't really get treated like a little child. Suddenly an idea popped into his mind.

"Madam Pomfrey, would you mind teaching me about healing magic?"

She was startled and almost dropped a glass bottle she was holding. When Harry explained he wanted to be able to help if someone got hurt, she agreed and they decided they'll have a lesson every weekend. Soon, they were chatting like a best friend and during the talk, Harry decided that he could trust her. She could be irritating sometimes when she think you should only rest when hurt, but she was also caring. She didn't press it if other person didn't want and seemed to be good at keeping secrets.

After a while, Harry lay down gazing at the ceiling. He was worried how well his family will take the news about him attending Hogwarts as well as what was needed to be done. Sarah's sleeping problems should need some help. Edward's talent of easily getting hurt was also a prolem. Maybe he could teach Anna how to treat wounds and he might buy presents for them since he would get his key tomorrow. Harry was cut off from his musings by Madam Pomfrey's question.

"Harry? Do you want a hot chocolate?"

Smiling in thanks, Harry reached out to take his cup and they returned back to chatting. To Harry's delight, Madam Pomfrey knew a lot about Harry's parents, Lily and James. She even offered to show him her memory which he immediately accepted. Itfelt more real that they were alive once and went to the same school he'll soon be attending.

'Well' Harry thought, laughing at the prank his father did. 'I have a feeling Hogwarts is going to be a home to me.'


	5. Diagon Alley

**Chapter 5**

**Diagon Alley**

Next morning, Harry was released from Madam Pomfrey's clutches and was allowed to remove his bandages. Madam Pomfrey argued that Harry hadn't recovered fully even if that 'poor injured boy' was literally running around the hospital wing to explore. While he was unwrapping his bandages, she kept scowling at him as if expecting him to faint from exhaustion which was kind of disturbing in his opinion.

When Professor McGonagall arrived, Harry said goodbye to Lupin and Madam Pomfrey with handful potions that the mediwitch insisted on giving him.

"These are for your growth, Harry. Don't forget to drink them after your meal and try your best to ignore the taste. These are called pain relief potions. When you drink them it will ease the pain, alright? Don't hurt yourself and try to stay out of trouble, and-"

"Alright! I get it. Can I please go?"

Tired of hearing Madam Pomfrey's lecture, Harry exclaimed in a whiny tone. Lupin coughed that suspiciously sounded like laughter and Professor McGonagall sent him an amused smile. Even the medi-witch's lips turned upwards, despite her effort to glare at him sternly.

Without warning, she hugged Harry tightly, causing the boy to squeal. Chuckling quietly, she gave him one last squeeze and let him go. Lupin ruffled his hair and gave him a huge smile. Harry became rather close to him too, as he was one of his father's friend. He promised to see him again and Harry scampered towards waiting Professor.

After arriving in a town called 'Hogsmead', Harry gripped Professor's arm tightly because he was warned how unpleasant feeling it will cause. After his feet touched the ground again, Harry clutched his stomach trying to even his breathing and stop the diziness.

"Are you alright?"

Harry only nodded with his eyes shut. He believed if he opened his mouth, he'll throw up, which he didn't want to happen.

They walked towards the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley, and where Harry and his friends - who were more like a family to him - lived. As usual, Harry was wearing a cap to cover his famous scar and eyes and nervously tugged at it, predicting his family's reaction to his choice of going to Hogwarts.

'Maybe they'll yell at me.' Harry thought, as they walked towards Tom, the barman of the pub. 'But still, we have encountered to many difficult situations, so they might understand... However, this is very big choice, so they might be disappointed or...' He was cut from his depressing thoughts as Tom immediately ushered them to the stairs which led to the rooms.

"You've scared us to death, Mr. Potter. Young ones even cried and older ones almost had an heart attack when that owl came with that letter saying you got head injury. For the sake of Merlin, never do that again, you understand me? _Never_."

All the way to the room, Tom lectured him about how irresponsible his action was and how he almost caused him a heart attack. At the end, Harry was grumbling under his breath about how it was not his fault. He knew Tom was indeed very serious, as he used 'Mr. Potter' instead of his usual 'Harry', and he had to wonder if this was how everyone was going to react.

When they reached the room, Tom returned to his spot but not after giving him a stern look and Harry couldn't help but stick his tongue out. He could've sworn he saw Professor McGonagall's lip twitching upwards but didn't have time to decide if he was imagining things because as soon as he opened the door, someone or rather some _people_ screamed out his name. _Loudly_.

**"HARRY!"**

Next thing he knew was that he was sprawled on the ground with small girl called Sarah, 5 years old and the youngest, on top of him grinning widely. Her curly blonde hair reached around her shoulder and she had blue eyes that were almost always sparkling with joy. She was abandoned on the streets with Chris's gang cornering her when they found her and ever since then, she thought of them as her real family.

"Oi, Sarah, get off from me!"

Still with her silly grin, she allowed Harry to get up but didn't let go of his leg and told him she was trying to 'make sure her big brother didn't go away'. Harry's other leg was also captured by slightly chubby boy with black hair and blue eyes.

"Edward, would you please leave my leg alone?"

Harry asked in a hopeful voice but all he received was a shake of the boy's head and wide smile. This time, he definitely saw an amused smile on the Professor's face and felt his face heating up a bit. After all, it was quite embarrassing to be in front of your future teacher with two stubborn kids dangling on your both legs. He sent a pleading gesture to the rest of the companion and as if taking a pity of him Lisa gently pried off the kids.

Lisa was seven years old and had red long wavy hair. Her eyes were green, but it was several shades darker than Harry's, and she was a very good play mates to Sarah and Edward. After putting the kids away from the boy, she scowled and smacked at him on the head. This action was copied by Anna, thirteen years old with brown hair reaching her waist which was always tied to a ponytail and had hazel eyes.

"Ow! What was that for?" Harry exclaimed, only to be yelled at for being 'reckless stupid idiot'. When he protested, Anna simply raised her eyebrow and questioned him.

"If it wasn't your fault that they cornered you, how is it that they saw you in the first place?"

At this, Harry had nothing to say, as it was a very well known fact to them that he was able to literally blend into crowds and shadow if he wanted to. He was going for a walk when he saw the gang bullying a child and he instantly jumped in to help the boy. After his own experience, Harry could never stand children getting mistreated and did everything to stop them. Seeing Harry silent, Anna's temper deflated. She never seemed to be able to stay angry at this boy for long. Harry's best friend, Charles, who was eleven years old with blonde hair and blue eyes spoke up.

"Just, don't risk your life Harry, okay? Think before you act, otherwise, you'll get yourself killed some day."

Anna let out a short laugh when Harry cried out, "Hey! I do think before I act!", before focusing on the adult witch who cleared her throat. Although they looked at ease on the outside, they all tensed and regarded her with caution. After all, they were from that damned place except Sarah who was also wary of adults and they all had rule number one.

_Always be careful and do not trust easily._

But when Harry eyed them with a look that said she was safe, she relaxed a bit and listened how her little brother by all but blood decided to go to Hogwarts. Harry was surprised to see everyone agreed to let him go so easily but smiled at them in thanks. Finally, all seven of them headed towards Diagon Alley.

* * *

><p>"Wow."<p>

Harry had to restrain himself from rolling on ground, laughing as he saw other's expressions. Sarah and Lisa were squealing like a happy puppy while Charles's jaw dropped. He looked as if his eyes will pop out any minute and Edward was constantly gasping in wonder. It was their first time coming here which was why they reacted so strongly, but their reactions were too funny to ignore. Even Professor McGonagall looked as if she'll burst out laughing and Anna was giggling behind her hand, gasping for breath.

Harry had already visited the place many times but couldn't bring all of them because it would've attracted too many attention. Anna often came with him for some part time job when she didn't have anything to help Tom. He also helped few shop owners and in return they gave him few things no matter how hard he protested. They adored him which still made Harry uncomfortable, and didn't know his true name but he was known as their 'little helper'. He especially liked going to the Flourish and Blotts, as it had tons of interesting informations in it and he even managed to teach himself few languages.

They headed to Gringotts first, to get some wizard money from Harry's vult. Sarah had managed to make a goblin friend, which wasn't really surprising to Harry because she always loved magical creatures. When they entered, she walked towards to a goblin who was cleaning the bank and introduced herself, while grinning th whole time. The goblin just stood and stared at her as if she was from other space. She frowned, tilting her head, deep in thought.

"Oh! I will help!"

She flashed the goblin another grin and started cleaning herself, rather clumsily. Harry face palmed and groaned. He had teached her to help whenever someone needed help, but he had no idea she'll use it in _this_ situation. Another groan escaped his lips when Edward ran forward, exclaiming, "I will help too!". Harry didn't no if the goblin will take it as an insult that these children were thinking he was not capable of doing his job or as a helpful action.

When Harry realized that everyone, wizards and goblins, were too shocked to move, he sighed mentally and walked up to the goblin who was cleaning. In Gobbledegook, he said a greeting and apologized for the disturbance. Wizards started whispering to themselves and the goblin finally recovered his voice.

_"No worries, Mr. Potter. I must say, it feels fairly good to see such a respectful children and to hear our tongue spoken by a wizard."_

_"I am glad you didn't get offended by our actions. Unlike most wizards, I do think it is important to learn other languages. I personally think that it is a shame that most of magical beings are treated with disrespect."_

He smiled, showing his sharp pointy teeth. They snapped out of their thoughts by Sarah who giggled, saying they made funny noises. He introduced him as a Gurnak, who was new and didn't have a job yet. Sarah was literally bouncing with excitement when Gurnak promised her to meet again with other young goblins.

_"Thank you for your time, Gurnak. May your wealth swell in time."_

_"You too, Harry. may your vault never run dry."_

They returned to Professor McGonagall who looked very shaken and at her inquire of why she did that, Sarah merely shrugged and answered he looked little lonely.

After getting some galleons out of Harry's vault ("Wow! I bet you are the richest kid in the world, Harry." Charles said, jokingly), they started shopping and Harry and his friends enjoyed it.

In the pet store, Professor bought him a snowy owl and simply waved off his protest. Admitting his defeat, Harry gently stroked her soft feathers. As a present, he bought a small golden bird who glowed softly for Charles, white rabbit that could turn into a hat for Lisa and a mouse whose color changed depending on its mood for Edward.

In Ollivanders, Harry had to try for about ten minutes to find the right wand. Mr. Ollivander was a little creepy, but he sure had a good memory, since he remembered every wand he sold. After trying for what felt like hours, Harry finally got his wand which he learned was a brother wand to Voldemort's. It was quite disturbing and Professor seemed to have a same thought to. He just hoped she won't be telling everyone about it. It felt kind of personal to him.

In Flourish and Blotts, Harry bought a book full of wizard's fairy tale for Sarah and a book explaining about wizarding world's culture for Anna. When he saw a familiar faces, he quietly left without anyone realizing he was going. Smirking to himself, he started to approach the two figures.

* * *

><p><strong> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I have a few questions for you and it would be great if you can answer these:<strong>

**Do you want Dumbledore to be evil, manipulative but nice or good?**

**Which House do you want Harry to be in?**

**Do you have any particular events you would like it to happen in the story?**

**Please read and review!**


	6. Sorting

**Chapter 6**

**Sorting**

Only two figures were standing at slightly dark corner of the bookshop. As Harry approached them, he could hear what they were whispering to each other. One had white-blond hair with very pale face. Next to him was other boy with round-face. He was constantlly exclaiming about something on the book he was holding to the pale boy who just looked at him in disbelief.

"Look! There is a plant called snakeweed was used to treat uncerative sores and stomach silments! Did you know that? It's amazing isn't it?"

"Neville, you do realize that you were shouting out random facts about plants at me for fifteen minutes. Not everyone are crazy about herbology like you."

Round-faced boy, Neville, flushed violently but grinned sheepishly at the pale boy. Now Harry had clear view at the two boys. Smile kept tugging on his lips as he saw his two friends. Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy.

Neville had a lot more self-confidence now. When they had first met, he would hardly speak of his own opinion. But now he looked more joyful and was rather chatty, especially about magical plants.

"Oh, sorry, Draco. But you have to admit, it is fascinating. Did you know that Devil's Snares can wrap anyone with their tendrils and choke them? But you can get rid of them by using fire though, because-"

"Hey, Neville. That's very interesting book you have. What's the title?"

Harry causually asked while biting his inside cheek to restrain him from laughing out loud. Draco immediately whirled around with his eyes darting around in panic. Neville however, lost his balance and would have crashed into a bookshelf if it hadn't for Harry who catched him.

"Harry? It is you! How have you been? Wait, what are you doing here?"

Confusioin clearly written in their face, two boys looked at him for answer. Harry broke into huge grin and hugged his best friends. Harry started explaining what had happened recently, and they listened with eagerness. After explanation about what happened since the last day they had met, excitement were bubbling up inside the three boys.

"Your relatives are dead? Oh, um, I'm... sorry that I didn't tell you Harry. I didn't know, either."

Neville and Draco glanced at each other uneasily. Normally, they would say they were sorry to hear that someone's relatives were dead. But in this case, it was different. They knew Harry's relatives were horrible. They had figured out that much. It was rather easy to figure it out, when Harry had this look whenever they mentioned about his relatives.

Even now his eyes showed fear, sadness and the haunted look.

Quick as it came, Harry neutralized his face and offered a small smile in their direction.

"Yeah. Apperantly, wizarding world was too busy with the disappearance of the 'Boy-Who-Lived' to care about some muggles dying."

Harry said, rolling his eyes. Neville grinned. He and Draco both knew how their friend hated his fame. He also thought it was very stupid, to make a child famous because he survived while that child's family didn't. Eventually they returned to more not serious and happy topics, namely Hogwarts.

"So you are going to Hogwarts too? Awsome! We can check out the secret passages in there. I bet we'll have lots of fun!"

Draco exclaimed. His eyes sparkling with excitement.

When Harry first met him, he was arrogant, typical Malfoy child. Thankfully, Harry managed to help realize money wasn't everything and now he wasn't a stuck-up pure blood anymore. But he acted like one in public. Draco explained that he had to, or his parents will be disappointed. But when it was only them, he was comfortable enough to drop his act and be childish.

"Wait. But didn't you say Slytherin don't get along with other Houses?"

Neville asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. Draco winced, realizing the problem. Harry also groaned, because he also knew Draco will be placed in Slytherin and everyone knew Slytherin's attitude towards other Houses.

"It's alright. Slytherin's rivalry is only intense with Gryffindor, isn't it? Besides even if one of us are Gryffindor, we can still meet secretly. I always thought it was ridiculous to divide students into four different groups to compete with each other. I mean what good does it do?"

Harry finished the sentence in a whiny tone, making a face. Other boys giggled at him, only to receive a grin. They agreed to meet beside a Forbidden Forest because no one usually went near it.

"Harry? We need to go now."

"Coming, Anna."

Raven haired boy quickly said goodbye and ran towards the group he came with. Draco smiled at his friend as he chattered with a girl. It was so good to see Harry full of happiness and _childish_. He tended to look like an adult with lots of responsibilities, but it seemed like what he had experienced in his short life was slowly fading out. Yes, they knew about that orphanage where Harry and his family called _Hell_. They didn't know the details of course, but it certain that it was very nightmarish.

"Draco, do you think Harry will be alright?"

Neville asked, his voice full of concern. Draco was worried too. He didn't want his friend to suffer more than he had already done. But Harry will be fine in Hogwarts. Everyone said Hogwarts was the best place, so it will be good to Harry, right?

Draco hoped it was true.

* * *

><p>It was time to head to Hogwarts. During the remaining days, Harry read the textbooks to get some idea what the classes were about. He quite liked Transfiguration, Charms and Potions. Madam Pomfrey had once told him his parents were excellent in those subjects, and besides, it sounded interesting.<p>

He named his snowy owl as 'Hedwig', a name he had found from a History of Magic. She seemed to like the name. He soon found out she was caring and rather proud of herself. Whenever Hedwig hooted at him in disapproval for things such as staying up late, he felt like she was his mother.

Harry also practiced writing with quills a little bit. Thank Merlin Tom thought it was necessary to teach him how to write with them. Even after weeks of practice, his writing was a little wriggly but at least it was recognizable. He also was thankful that Tom made his eyesight better with magic. Now, he had no problem without wearing his glasses, and he preferred not wearing them. Without the glasses, his eyes (which was his mother's eyes according to Tom) stood out more.

"Bye, Harry. Try to stay out of trouble and have fun." Anna said, hugging his brother by all but blood before backing up to let others to say their goodbyes.

Rose, Edward and Sara handed him a picture of them and it was fairly well drawn. Harry was standing in the middle with Sara holding his hands. Anna was on the very right side, waving her hand. Tom was next to Anna with a big smile on his face. Edward was on the very left, smiling hugely while Charles held his hand.

Tom gave him a small necklace that read 'HP'. It was made of metal and sparkled with various colors when the light hit it. Tom chuckled fondly when Harry stared at it in awe.

Charles gave him a hat. It was tight, so Harry could adjust his hair over his scar. As predicted, Harry was delighted. He always worried about how people will stare at his scar, but now the problem was solved. Thanks to him.

Harry rode a Night Bus to Kings Cross Station with the help from Tom. The ride was really bumpy, and he literally ran out of the bus when it stopped at Kings Cross station.

He successfully ran through a magical barrier (Harry could sense the tingling sensation of magic) and found himself a empty compartment. He opened the cage of Hedwig's so she could fly on her own so she could stretch her wings a bit.

After a while, Neville stumbled in. For some reason, his face was tearful, and Harry immediately grew concerned.

"What's the matter, Neville? Did something happen?"

"It's Trevor, Harry. He's gone again. I don't know why he keeps disappearing like that." Neville sniffed, his shoulders hunched. Harry immediately went to his side, trying to comfort him.

"Hey, it's alright. Trevor always come back, doesn't he? So he'll come back this time. I think he only want some free time or something."

Harry received a weak smile and they moved to other topics. Neville promised to help him with Herbology and in return, Harry would help with Potions. In the middle of their conversation about Quidditch, Draco came in.

"Hey, Draco. Where's Crabbe and Goyle?"

"Oh, they're with other kids. I bet they are stuffing their face with sweets right now."

Draco replied, shrugging casually. He flopped onto opposite seat from a Harry and Neville and joined the conversation. Soon, whistle was heard, and the train began to move. They changed into school robes so they won't have to worry about it, and bought some sweets from he trolley.

When the train arrived, Neville was sleeping with his face pressed onto the window. Draco was trying out some chocolate frogs and Harry was reading a book about Transfiguration. When the train stopped, Neville stumbled forwards, crashing into Draco.

"Ouch! Neville!"

"Sorry!"

Pushing himself up, Draco said goodbye and ran to find Crabbe and Goyle. Harry and Neville hurried out, holding hands to not to get separated. Once they got outside, they saw a huge man, calling out for first years.

"Firs' years! Firs' years follow me! Mind yer steps now! Any more firs' years?"

Harry immediately tensed up at the sight of the man, but after looking carefully, he decided he wasn't really a dangerous. Sure, he was big and looked intimidating, but his eyes held kindness, that made you like him.

As they went to a boat as they were instructed, they chose a boat that only held one girl with incredibly bushy hairs.

"Hello. Mind if we sit here?"

Harry asked carefully, not wanting to startle her. She whirled around to face them, and Harry caught some emotions that flickered in her eyes. Joy, disbelief and happiness. He figured she didn't have a lot of friends, and instantly wanted to be her friend.

"No, I don't mind. My name is Hermione Granger."

They introduced themselves, and Hermione soon discovered Harry's discomfort with his fame, she avoided the subject and instead chatted happily with her new friends. Neville overcame his shyness quickly, and Hermione also stopped talking in a bossy attitude. Harry was just glad he made another friend.

Students exclaimed in fascination when they saw Hogwarts, and they were taken to Professor McGonagall, who gave a short speech. Then, ghosts came, causing some first graders to scream in panic, and to Harry's surprise, Draco walked towards him.

"Hello. I hear you are Harry Potter. Is the rumor true?"

He asked, acting as if it was the first time seeing Harry. He nodded, wondering what Draco was planning and Neville looked as puzzled as he was. Then, when Draco offered his friendship, Harry mentally chuckled at his friend's trick. If Harry accepted his friendship, it won't be strange sight to other students if they saw them hanging out with each other. Without thinking further, Harry shook his hand and he could swear he saw Draco secretly winking at him as he returned to his original place with Crabbe and Goyle.

Finally they entered the Great Hall. Harry became tense again, when he saw how many students were sitting and was looking at them. Forcing him to relax, he began to wonder how they were going to be sorted. Even Neville and Draco didn't know how. Apperantly, it was some kind of tradition to not tell their children how sorting happened.

His question was soon answered by Professor, who explained that the Sorting Hat will sort them. He could hear Neville sighing in relief, who was still pale with worry. Hermione, on the other hand, looked kind of eager, and started wondering about what kind of spell was used to create the hat. Harry smiled silently at his friends' reactions, and he watched other students getting sorted.

Hermione, who almost ran out to put the Hat on, was sorted to Ravenclaw. It wasn't surprising, since she was very intelligent. Neville became a Hufflepuff, and this didn't shock Harry either, because he knew how loyal his friend could be. The Hat yelled out **'SLYTHERIN' **as soon as it touched Draco's head, and Harry clapped along with other students.

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry groaned inwardly as the Hall became silent with occasional whispers. Bracing himself, Harry walked towards the stool and only saw darkness as Professor McGonagall put the Hat over his head.

'Hm, interesting one, aren't you?' Harry nearly jumped as he heard the voice whispering inside his head. The voice chuckled, and he could feel a slight blush on his face. 'Don't worry, I don't hurt people. Now, before I can sort you, I need to take a look at your memories. Ready?'

It was all he could to grit his teeth to stop himself from crying out. Harry saw flashes of his life. Getting cornered by Dudley's gang, getting locked up in his cupboard. He saw his uncle and his aunt, handing him the list of chores he had to do. When it was time for the life in the _Hell, _Harry lashed out, knowing he couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

'I am sorry.' Came a soothing voice, full of concern. Harry just sat there, panting as if he ran a marathon and grabbing the stool very tightly to keep himself from falling. 'I didn't know if would effect you so much. Are you feeling alright?'

'Yeah, just, just shocked, that's all.' Harry thought back, shutting his eyes to collect himself. He could sense students and professors confusion.

'I apologize again. Let's go back to sorting, shall we?' After receiving an agreement, the Hat started explaining. 'You have great potential, Harry. You are full of bravery and also have some quality to go into Slytherin, too. You are also intelligent and thinks greatly of your friends. So, where should I put you?'

'I don't really care. I just want to go to a House where people will like just myself, not the Boy-Who-Lived.' Harry could feel the amusement of the Hat and vague feeling of his hair being ruffled playfully. 'Well, I know the exact House where I should place you. It is **HUFFLEPUFF**!" The Hat yelled out the last part to the Hall and the table decorated with yellow and black exploded with applaud and cheers. Before Professor McGonagall took the Hat off, Harry heard it whispering into his ears.

'Welcome to your new family. Good luck.'

Harry barely noticed his friends clapping, but instead of acknowledging them, he just walked towards Neville and sat between him and someone who introduced himself as 'Cedric Diggory'. Harry flinched when he felt Neville placing his hand on his shoulder. It was clear that his friend was worried about him, and with fairly good reasons, too. Harry was as pale as a paper and was trembling slightly. Watching the memories impacted him more greatly than he was aware. No wonder he was feeling so drained and exhausted.

"Hey, you alright?"

It was Cedric, his voice full of concern. It seemed like the Hat was right about Hufflepuffs liking him the way he was. Harry smiled weakly at him, and answered, trying hard to make his voice steady.

"I'm okay. Just tired, but nothing serious."

Although the older Hufflepuff looked unconvinced, he dropped the subject. The sorting finished and it was time for the feast. But Harry didn't have much appetite, and only poked the food around his plate despite Neville's effort to make him eat. He only wanted to sleep now, and after what felt like ages, it was time for them to go to their respective common room.

As they followed the Prefect, first years stared in awe at almost everything, everyone except Harry. He only memorized the way from Great Hall to Common Room and was fighting to keep his eyelids open.

The entrance to the common room was located in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor, concealed behind a stack of barrels. The Prefect explained that in order to reveal the entrance, you had to tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff', which will make the lid swing open, exposing a passageway that will lead to the basement when crawled through. However, if the wrong lid is tapped or the wrong rhythm is used, the intruder will be doused in vinegar and barred access.

The common room was round, earthy, low-ceilinged, welcoming, warm, and sunny. There were lots of yellow hangings, and yellow and black overstuffed sofas and armchairs. There were also circular windows and their head of house was Pomona Sprout, also a professor of Herbology. There is also a large, honey coloured, wooden mantelpiece with carvings of badgers on it. This is located underneath a portrait of the house's founder, Helga Hufflepuff.

Professor Sprout was cheery and caring woman, and she welcomed them to Hufflepuff. Her speech was cut short by several students, especially first years, yawning or even falling asleep. Smiling fondly, she ushered them into their dormitories.

The dormitory had four-poster beds and was illuminated by warm copper lamps. Harry discovered that Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan and Neville were sharing the dorm with him, but at the moment, he couldn't care less. After excusing himself, Harry half-walked half-dragged himself and collapsed onto his bed. He could hear whispers of others, but it was as if they were talking from a very long distance. Next thing he knew, Harry was asleep, thankfully without any nightmares.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello! I am sorry for late update. I was on a vacation then I had to study for exams! I'll try to write more faster from now on.<strong>

**So I made Draco and Neville friends with Harry, and put him in Hufflepuff. I know I made some changes with Neville and Hermione's House but I thought it was better for my story. Hope you don't mind. **

**Please read and review! **


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